A Social History of the Electric Guitar

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Social History of the Electric Guitar City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works School of Arts & Sciences Theses Hunter College Spring 5-2-2019 Why Does It Have To Be So Loud? A Social History Of The Electric Guitar Thomas Dunne CUNY Hunter College How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/429 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] 1 Why Does It Have To Be So Loud? A Social History Of The Electric Guitar by Thomas Dunne Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts History, Hunter College The City University of New York 2019 Thesis Sponsor: May 2, 2019 Jonathan Rosenberg Date Signature May 2, 2019 Kevin Sachs Date Signature of Second Reader 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 3 2. Chapter 1 The Instrument 8 3. Chapter 2 Social Impact 34 4. Chapter 3 Guitar Gods 65 5. Conclusion 98 3 In the summer of 2017, I taught a Project-Based Learning course on the blues and the electric guitar at the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City. The course curriculum included learning about the electric guitar, the blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. I had the kids write blues songs, and showed them my Gibson Les Paul electric guitar and let them play it. We also learned about some of the most celebrated guitarists who played this type of music, of which the children had little to no knowledge. Still, I thought they might have heard of Jimi Hendrix when I had them watch a documentary about the legend one day. I was wrong. None of the students had any idea who Hendrix was, and not five minutes into the film, one particularly restless sixth grader aired his unsolicited opinion on the subject. “Who is this guy? He sucks! Nobody cares about him. Why are we watching this? Can’t we do something else?” Mercifully, that student transferred out of the class the next day, but most of the students shared his lack of interest. They enjoyed trying to play my guitar, but for most it was little more than a curious novelty, and they had no real interest in the music I was showing them. They only listened to hip-hop and electronic dance music, two genres that rarely utilize the electric guitar. The electric guitar and guitar-driven music hardly inspired any enthusiasm at all. But it was not always this way. In the twentieth century, the electric guitar and its greatest players captivated audiences in America and around the globe. Beginning as a practical way to provide more volume to guitar players struggling to be heard, the electric guitar evolved into an instrument with a sound of its own, a sound that would influence and change every form of American music. In the 1950’s, the electric guitar would be the catalyst for a new genre 4 that came to be known as rock ‘n’ roll. Rock ‘n’ roll, a derivation of blues music, became a polarizing phenomenon in the mid to late twentieth century. It was the music of choice of the youth of the baby-boomer generation. Its close association with African-American musical forms caused consternation and alarm amongst the parents of rock ‘n’ roll fans and the white establishment generally, who saw rock ‘n’ roll as a dangerous threat to racial segregation and social order. Its loud, aggressive sound also had a polarizing effect. What was fun, thrilling music to the kids was annoying noise to the adults. The electric guitar and its greatest rock players were responsible for the noise. The history and influence of the electric guitar and the men who achieved the greatest fame and recognition playing it are the subjects of this thesis. I will discuss the history of the electric guitar and argue that it achieved a special status in American culture that no other instrument could match. Its profound effect on most genres of American music and its close association with the baby-boomer generation and rock ‘n’ roll transformed it into an iconic symbol of American culture. I will further argue that the greatest lead guitarists playing rock ‘n’ roll achieved a special status that even their most accomplished peers in the genres of jazz, blues, and country could not attain. They took on an aura that one associates with fictional superheroes with special powers. They were not simply great rock guitar players. Instead, the terms “guitar hero” and “guitar god” came to be applied to them, and I will discuss why this was so. In the first chapter, I will discuss how and why the electric guitar came into being and explain what an electric guitar is. We will see that the electric guitar’s original raison d’etre was 5 to provide more volume for guitarists who could not be heard while playing in western swing, Hawaiian, and big band jazz groups, which were popular in the 1920’s and 30’s, when the earliest incarnations of the electric guitar first appeared. We will also see that there is not one type of electric guitar; they can vary depending on the solidity of the guitar, and the electronics contained within the guitar also play a crucial role in distinguishing an electric guitar from an acoustic. In the second chapter, I will discuss how the electric guitar influenced and changed most forms of American music in the twentieth century. It is a remarkably versatile instrument, and is used in most music genres. I will also discuss how the electric guitar provided the volume that players were looking for, and profoundly altered the role of the guitarist in a band. Guitarists were no longer relegated to playing only rhythm; they could play solos like the other instrumentalists. Guitarists playing these solos came to be known as “lead” guitarists. This crucial development had a profound effect on American music, as most genres came to feature brilliant lead guitar players. I will also discuss the prime movers behind the development of the electric guitar and the culture of tinkering from which they came. Inveterate tinkerers like Les Paul and Leo Fender were inspired by the advent of electronics and the rise of radio. They would disassemble and reassemble radios and other electronic devices, and would later apply their tinkering knowledge, interest, and skill to the construction and development of the electric guitar. This chapter will also discuss how the electric guitar was the essential instrument behind the rise of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950’s, and how it became a polarizing symbol of the youth culture 6 that embraced this new genre. Over time, it became an icon of American culture, as it transcended its original purpose of merely producing musical sound. The sleek beauty, futuristic design, and otherworldly, modern sound of the solid-body electric guitar came to represent the time in which it originated. It also became a unifying symbol of the youth culture of the sixties and seventies, and an object of derision to those who despised the culture that embraced it. In the third chapter, I will discuss and explore why the greatest rock players of the sixties and seventies came to be called “guitar heroes” and “gods.” The refinement and improvements in amplification in the 1960’s allowed guitarists to play at tremendous volume. Those who could harness that volume and create amazing sounds while demonstrating remarkable skill as lead guitarists came to be venerated, even worshipped. The excellent music they produced, their appearance, their skills, and the widespread praise and attention they received all contributed to a special status in American culture, which was unparalleled. I will discuss the lives and careers of the three of the foremost guitar gods. As we shall see, with great adulation also came turmoil, and even death. Instantly recognizable in both appearance and sound, the electric guitar has become a permanent fixture in American life. The finest and most sought-after models are still being played today with the same design that was perfected sixty to seventy years ago. And while the influence and use of the electric guitar is not as prevalent in popular music as it used to be, it remains a cherished icon. The market for vintage electric guitars originally built in the 1950’s demonstrates this. Gibson Les Paul guitars built in the late fifties in excellent condition regularly sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the electric guitar is one of the most recognizable 7 artifacts of American culture in the twentieth century. Perhaps one day the electric guitar will regain its prominence in popular music, as well. 8 CHAPTER 1 THE INSTRUMENT 9 Dockery Plantation, a 10,000 acre sawmill and cotton plantation in the heart of the Mississippi Delta,1 is generally considered the birthplace of Delta blues, a type of blues music that emerged in the first quarter of the twentieth century. It was home, at various times, to some of the most popular and seminal bluesmen in American history, including Son House, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Howlin’ Wolf, and Pops Staples. Apart from working the fields, these men all performed as singers and guitarists in the 1920’s and 30’s at various gatherings throughout the plantation, within a culture where musical performance was encouraged. Concerts were organized and even hosted at times by plantation owner Will Dockery, who was known for treating his tenants fairly.2 These performances could last all night, and were loud and raucous affairs.
Recommended publications
  • Queen of the Blues © Photos AP/Wideworld 46 D INAHJ ULY 2001W EASHINGTONNGLISH T EACHING F ORUM 03-0105 ETF 46 56 2/13/03 2:15 PM Page 47
    03-0105_ETF_46_56 2/13/03 2:15 PM Page 46 J Queen of the Blues © Photos AP/WideWorld 46 D INAHJ ULY 2001W EASHINGTONNGLISH T EACHING F ORUM 03-0105_ETF_46_56 2/13/03 2:15 PM Page 47 thethe by Kent S. Markle RedRed HotHot BluesBlues AZZ MUSIC HAS OFTEN BEEN CALLED THE ONLY ART FORM J to originate in the United States, yet blues music arose right beside jazz. In fact, the two styles have many parallels. Both were created by African- Americans in the southern United States in the latter part of the 19th century and spread from there in the early decades of the 20th century; both contain the sad sounding “blue note,” which is the bending of a particular note a quar- ter or half tone; and both feature syncopation and improvisation. Blues and jazz have had huge influences on American popular music. In fact, many key elements we hear in pop, soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll (opposite) Dinah Washington have their beginnings in blues music. A careful study of the blues can contribute © AP/WideWorld Photos to a greater understanding of these other musical genres. Though never the Born in 1924 as Ruth Lee Jones, she took the stage name Dinah Washington and was later known leader in music sales, blues music has retained a significant presence, not only in as the “Queen of the Blues.” She began with singing gospel music concerts and festivals throughout the United States but also in our daily lives. in Chicago and was later famous for her ability to sing any style Nowadays, we can hear the sound of the blues in unexpected places, from the music with a brilliant sense of tim- ing and drama and perfect enun- warm warble of an amplified harmonica on a television commercial to the sad ciation.
    [Show full text]
  • How All This Came About
    Innovation. Amplified. Chapter 1 How All This Came About by Hartley Peavey s most of you know, electronics have been direction (i.e. a “check valve” that allows electrons to A around a very long time. In the latter part of the flow in only one direction). It had been long known 1800s, Thomas Edison perfected the incandescent that electrons possess a “negative” (-) charge and lightbulb. Edison experimented with thousands of therefore are attracted to anything having a positive combinations of materials before he finally found (+) charge. So the flow of electrons is (and will al- that a small Tungsten filament inside an “evacuated” ways be) from negative to positive. glass container would convert electricity into light. These early bulbs suffered a number of problems, The aforementioned “Edison effect” became widely but generally were perfected enough for general known, and various labs on both sides of the Atlantic use by the early 1890s... After extended use, it was performed extensive research. The modern vacuum discovered that the inside of the clear glass “bulbs” tube utilizes three or more “electrodes” whose effect would gradually darken, thus absorbing much of was discovered in 1903 by an American named Lee the light generated by the incandescent filament. DeForrest. He discovered that if an electrode with Various schemes were tried to reduce this, includ- a negative charge was inserted between the incan- ing introduction of various “Noble” gases, as well descent filament and a positively charged electrode as insertion of other metal conductors in attempts (anode), that the flow of current could be controlled to “drain off” whatever was causing the inside of (modulated), thus causing the device to act like an Edison’s bulbs to blacken after extended periods of “electronic valve”… This is why most of the world use.
    [Show full text]
  • The 2016 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Honoring the 2016 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters
    04-04 NEA Jazz Master Tribute_WPAS 3/25/16 11:58 AM Page 1 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts DAVID M. RUBENSTEIN , Chairman DEBORAH F. RUTTER , President CONCERT HALL Monday Evening, April 4, 2016, at 8:00 The Kennedy Center and the National Endowment for the Arts present The 2016 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert Honoring the 2016 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters GARY BURTON WENDY OXENHORN PHAROAH SANDERS ARCHIE SHEPP Jason Moran is the Kennedy Center’s Artistic Director for Jazz. WPFW 89.3 FM is a media partner of Kennedy Center Jazz. Patrons are requested to turn off cell phones and other electronic devices during performances. The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment are not allowed in this auditorium. 04-04 NEA Jazz Master Tribute_WPAS 3/25/16 11:58 AM Page 2 2016 NEA JAZZ MASTERS TRIBUTE CONCERT Hosted by JASON MORAN, pianist and Kennedy Center artistic director for jazz With remarks from JANE CHU, chairman of the NEA DEBORAH F. RUTTER, president of the Kennedy Center THE 2016 NEA JAZZ MASTERS Performances by NEA JAZZ MASTERS: CHICK COREA, piano JIMMY HEATH, saxophone RANDY WESTON, piano SPECIAL GUESTS AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE, trumpeter LAKECIA BENJAMIN, saxophonist BILLY HARPER, saxophonist STEFON HARRIS, vibraphonist JUSTIN KAUFLIN, pianist RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA, saxophonist PEDRITO MARTINEZ, percussionist JASON MORAN, pianist DAVID MURRAY, saxophonist LINDA OH, bassist KARRIEM RIGGINS, drummer and DJ ROSWELL RUDD, trombonist CATHERINE RUSSELL, vocalist 04-04 NEA Jazz Master Tribute_WPAS
    [Show full text]
  • California Noise: Tinkering with Hardcore and Heavy Metal in Southern California Steve Waksman
    ABSTRACT Tinkering has long figured prominently in the history of the electric guitar. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, two guitarists based in the burgeoning Southern California hard rock scene adapted technological tinkering to their musical endeavors. Edward Van Halen, lead guitarist for Van Halen, became the most celebrated rock guitar virtuoso of the 1980s, but was just as noted amongst guitar aficionados for his tinkering with the electric guitar, designing his own instruments out of the remains of guitars that he had dismembered in his own workshop. Greg Ginn, guitarist for Black Flag, ran his own amateur radio supply shop before forming the band, and named his noted independent record label, SST, after the solid state transistors that he used in his own tinkering. This paper explores the ways in which music-based tinkering played a part in the construction of virtuosity around the figure of Van Halen, and the definition of artistic ‘independence’ for the more confrontational Black Flag. It further posits that tinkering in popular music cuts across musical genres, and joins music to broader cultural currents around technology, such as technological enthusiasm, the do-it-yourself (DIY) ethos, and the use of technology for the purposes of fortifying masculinity. Keywords do-it-yourself, electric guitar, masculinity, popular music, technology, sound California Noise: Tinkering with Hardcore and Heavy Metal in Southern California Steve Waksman Tinkering has long been a part of the history of the electric guitar. Indeed, much of the work of electric guitar design, from refinements in body shape to alterations in electronics, could be loosely classified as tinkering.
    [Show full text]
  • Guitar Body Shapes May 14, 2020
    Guitar Virtual Learning Guitar Body Shapes May 14, 2020 Guitar Lesson: May 14, 2020 Objective/Learning Target: What different guitar shapes are there, and what are the differences between those shapes? Warm-Up Activity Watch the following video by YouTuber “Minor7thb5” (which is a music theory reference!). In it, he plays the same piece of music two times with two different guitars. The guitars are of similar build quality and materials, but they are different shapes. One is a parlor guitar and the other is a dreadnaught. How do they sound different to you? These differences are subtle. It might be easier to hear by using headphones. 2nd Warm-Up Activity These were the two guitars he played. The one on the left is an Eastman parlor guitar, the one on the right is a Martin dreadnought. How do they look different? How do they look the same? Guitar Shapes For the lesson today, we are going to do a brief overview of the different guitar shapes and styles you can find today. This lesson will build on the lessons from earlier in the week where we discussed the differences between classical, steel-string, and electric guitars. Now, we will see what different body shapes there are, especially for the steel-string and electric guitars, and what makes them different! A Brief history of guitar shapes The word “guitar” comes from the Greek word “kithara,” which shows up in Greek mythology from thousands of years ago. These stringed instruments didn’t look much like our guitars now, but they were strummed like our guitars.
    [Show full text]
  • North Carolina Obituaries Courier Tribune Name Date of Paper Page # Date of Death Abbott, Blannie Allen 7-Aug-84 7A 6-Aug-84
    North Carolina Obituaries Courier Tribune Name Date of Paper Page # Date of Death Abbott, Blannie Allen 7-Aug-84 7A 6-Aug-84 Abbott, Douglas L. 1-Sep-82 12A 30-Aug-82 Abbott, Helen Hartsook 3-Dec-82 9A 2-Dec-82 Abbott, Molly Jeane 3-Nov-81 8A 31-Oct-81 Abbott, Nora Johnson Mitchell 14-Oct-83 12A 13-Oct-83 Abbott, Roger 1-Aug-84 6A 31-Jul-84 Abercrombie, Dodd 5-Oct-80 6A 3-Oct-80 Abernathy, Ray Paul 29-Jun-80 8A 28-Jun-80 Abernathy, Shaun Travis 24-May-83 8A 24-May-83 Abrams, Reagan Vincent 28-Sep-80 6A 26-Sep-80 Abston, Thomas Earl 30-Dec-82 10A 29-Dec-82 Ackerman, Elsie K. 20-Apr-82 8A 19-Apr-82 Acree, Una Mae Phillips 6-Jul-81 6A 5-Jul-81 Adams, Anna Threadgill 9-Dec-85 9A 8-Dec-85 Adams, Annie Vaughn 12-Mar-85 6A 11-Mar-85 Adams, Bernice Hooper 6-Jul-82 8A 5-Jul-82 Adams, Dora Carrick 13-Jun-80 10A 12-Jun-80 Adams, Edward Vance 23-May-83 6A 23-May-83 Adams, Herman Hugh Sr. 29-Oct-81 8A 27-Oct-81 Adams, James Clifton 18-Sep-84 9A 17-Sep-84 Adams, John Edwin 1-Mar-84 10A 29-Feb-84 Adams, T.B. 15-Oct-82 10A 14-Oct-82 Adams, Velma D. 11-Aug-81 8A 10-Aug-81 Adcock, Plackard C. 6-Jul-82 8A 5-Jul-82 Aderholt, Daniel H. 17-May-85 10A 13-May-85 Adkins, Clarence Odell 1-Jan-85 7A 1-Jan-85 Adkins, E.G.
    [Show full text]
  • Pure Acoustic
    A TAYLOR GUITARS QUARTERLY PUBLICATION • VOLUME 47 • WINTER 2006 pure acoustic THE GS SERIES TAKES SHAPE I’m a 30-year-old mother and wife who Jorma Kaukonen, Bert Jansch, Leo Kottke, 1959 Harmony Sovereign to a collector, loves to play guitar. I currently own two Reverend Gary Davis, and others, and my I will buy that Taylor 110, or even a 200 Letters Fenders. But after seeing you recognize listeners tell me I am better than before series model, which are priced right. my kind of player, my next guitar will be the “incident”. That’s a long story about John-Hans Melcher a Taylor (keeping my fingers crossed for a great guitar saving my hand, my music, (former percussionist for Christmas). Thanks for thinking of me. and my job. Thanks for building your Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret) Via e-mail Bonnie Manning product like I build mine — with pride Via e-mail and quality materials. By the way, I saw Artie Traum conduct After many years of searching and try- Aloha, Mahalo Nui a workshop here in Wakefield and it was ing all manner of quality instruments in Loa, A Hui Hou a very good time. Artie is a fine musician order to improve on the sound and feel Aloha from Maui! I met David Hosler, and a real down-to-earth guy — my kind of, would you believe, a 1966 Harmony Rob Magargal, and David Kaye at Bounty of people. Sovereign, I’ve done it! It’s called a Taylor Music on Maui last August, and I hope Bob “Slice” Crawford 710ce-L9.
    [Show full text]
  • Voices of the Electric Guitar
    California State University, Monterey Bay Digital Commons @ CSUMB Capstone Projects and Master's Theses 2012 Voices of the electric guitar Don Curnow California State University, Monterey Bay Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes Recommended Citation Curnow, Don, "Voices of the electric guitar" (2012). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 369. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes/369 This Capstone Project is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Projects and Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. Unless otherwise indicated, this project was conducted as practicum not subject to IRB review but conducted in keeping with applicable regulatory guidance for training purposes. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Voices of the Electric Guitar Don Curnow MPA 475 12-12-12 Intro The solid body electric guitar is the result of many guitars and innovations that came before it, followed by the guitar's need for volume to compete with louder instruments, particularly when soloing. In the 1930s, jazz and its various forms incorporated the guitar, but at the time there was no way for an acoustic guitar to compete with the volume of a trumpet or saxophone, let alone with an orchestra of trumpets and saxophones, such as in big band jazz. As a result, amplification of the guitar was born and the electric guitar has been evolving since, from a hollow bodied ES-150 arch-top with a pick-up used by Charlie Christian to the Les Paul played by Slash today.
    [Show full text]
  • Omega Auctions Ltd Catalogue 28 Apr 2020
    Omega Auctions Ltd Catalogue 28 Apr 2020 1 REGA PLANAR 3 TURNTABLE. A Rega Planar 3 8 ASSORTED INDIE/PUNK MEMORABILIA. turntable with Pro-Ject Phono box. £200.00 - Approximately 140 items to include: a Morrissey £300.00 Suedehead cassette tape (TCPOP 1618), a ticket 2 TECHNICS. Five items to include a Technics for Joe Strummer & Mescaleros at M.E.N. in Graphic Equalizer SH-8038, a Technics Stereo 2000, The Beta Band The Three E.P.'s set of 3 Cassette Deck RS-BX707, a Technics CD Player symbol window stickers, Lou Reed Fan Club SL-PG500A CD Player, a Columbia phonograph promotional sticker, Rock 'N' Roll Comics: R.E.M., player and a Sharp CP-304 speaker. £50.00 - Freak Brothers comic, a Mercenary Skank 1982 £80.00 A4 poster, a set of Kevin Cummins Archive 1: Liverpool postcards, some promo photographs to 3 ROKSAN XERXES TURNTABLE. A Roksan include: The Wedding Present, Teenage Fanclub, Xerxes turntable with Artemis tonearm. Includes The Grids, Flaming Lips, Lemonheads, all composite parts as issued, in original Therapy?The Wildhearts, The Playn Jayn, Ween, packaging and box. £500.00 - £800.00 72 repro Stone Roses/Inspiral Carpets 4 TECHNICS SU-8099K. A Technics Stereo photographs, a Global Underground promo pack Integrated Amplifier with cables. From the (luggage tag, sweets, soap, keyring bottle opener collection of former 10CC manager and music etc.), a Michael Jackson standee, a Universal industry veteran Ric Dixon - this is possibly a Studios Bates Motel promo shower cap, a prototype or one off model, with no information on Radiohead 'Meeting People Is Easy 10 Min Clip this specific serial number available.
    [Show full text]
  • Rhythm Posse Occasionally Worked with Bukka White in Local Juke Facebook.Com/Rhythmposse Joints
    father of the Memphis blues guitar style. By the turn of the century, at the age of 12, Stokes worked as a blacksmith, traveling the 25 miles to Memphis on the weekends to sing and play guitar All shows begin at 6:30 In case of inclement weather, Tuesday Night Blues with Don Sane, with whom he developed a long- is held at the House of Rock, 422 Water Street. term musical partnership. Together, they busked on *August 7 will be held at Phoenix Park. the streets and in Church's Park (now W. C. Handy Park) on Memphis' Beale Street. Sane rejoined Stokes May 28 Howard ‘Guitar’ Luedtke & Blue Max for the second day of an August 1928 session for HowardLuedtke.com June 4 Revolver Victor Records, and they produced a two-part RevolverBand.net version of "Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do", a song August 20, 2013 at Owen Park June 11 Bryan Lee well known in later versions by Bessie Smith and BrailleBluesDaddy.com Jimmy Witherspoon, but whose origin lies June 18 Tommy Bentz Band somewhere in the pre-blues era. RhythmRhythm PPosseosse TommyBentz.com In 1929, Stokes and Sane recorded again for June 25 Code Blue with Catya & Sue Catya.net Paramount, resuming their 'Beale Street Sheiks' July 2 Left Wing Bourbon billing for a few cuts. In September, Stokes was back LeftWingBourbon.com on Victor to make what were to be his last July 9 Charlie Parr recordings, this time without Sane, but with Will Batts CharlieParr.com on fiddle. Stokes and Batts were a team as July 16 Deep Water Reunion MySpace.com/DWReunion evidenced by these records, which are both July 23 Steve Meyer with the True Heat Band traditional and wildly original, but their style had (featuring Ben Harder) fallen out of favor with the blues record buying July 30 Ross William Perry public.
    [Show full text]
  • Overview Guitar Models
    14.04.2011 HOHNER - HISTORICAL GUITAR MODELS page 1 [54] Image Category Model Name Year from-to Description former retail price Musima Resonata classical; beginners guitar; mahogany back and sides Acoustic 129 (730) ca. 1988 140 DM (1990) with celluloid binding; 19 frets Acoustic A EAGLE 2004 Top Wood: Spruce - Finish : Natural - Guitar Hardware: Grover Tuners BR CLASSIC CITY Acoustic 1999 Fingerboard: Rosewood - Pickup Configuration: H-H (BATON ROUGE) electro-acoustic; solid spruce top; striped ebony back and sides; maple w/ abalone binding; mahogany neck; solid ebony fingerboard and Acoustic CE 800 E 2007 bridge; Gold Grover 3-in-line tuners; shadow P7 pickup, 3-band EQ; single cutaway; colour: natural electro-acoustic; solid spruce top; striped ebony back and sides; maple Acoustic CE 800 S 2007 w/ abalone binding; mahogany neck; solid ebony fingerboard and bridge; Gold Grover 3-in-line tuners; single cutaway; colour: natural dreadnought western guitar; Gruhn design; 20 nickel silver frets; rosewood veneer on headstock; mahogany back and sides; spruce top, Acoustic D 1 ca. 1991 950 DM (1992) scalloped bracings; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard; satin finish; Gotoh die-cast machine heads dreadnought western guitar; Gruhn design; rosewood back and sides; spruce top, scalloped bracings; mahogany neck with rosewood Acoustic D 2 ca. 1991 1100 DM (1992) fingerboard; 20 nickel silver frets; rosewood veneer on headstock; satin finish; Gotoh die-cast machine heads Top Wood: Sitka Spruce - Back: Rosewood - Sides: Rosewood - Guitar Acoustic
    [Show full text]
  • Press Kit—Winter NAMM 2017 Booth #4618
    Press Kit—Winter NAMM 2017 Booth #4618 CONTACT: Jodi Anderson—Director, Communications & Product Marketing #learnteachplay P: 818-891-5999 x259 / F: 818-830-6259 / [email protected] / alfred.com/NAMM Mailing address: P.O. Box 10003 • Van Nuys, CA 91410-0003 • Street address: 16320 Roscoe Blvd., Suite 100 • Van Nuys, CA 91406 • Phone: 818.891.5999 • Fax: 818.830.6259 • Web: alfred.com Who We Are We help the world experience the joy of making music. Alfred Music, the leader in music education for 94 years, produces educational, reference, pop, and performance materials for teachers, students, professionals, and hobbyists spanning every musical instrument, style, and difficulty level. Alfred Music’s home office is located in Los Angeles, with domestic offices in Miami and New York, as well as offices around the world, including Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Since 1922, Alfred Music has been dedicated to helping people learn, teach, and play music. Alfred Music currently has over 150,000 active titles and represents a wide range of well-known publications—from methods like Alfred’s Basic Guitar, Alfred’s Basic Piano Library, Premier Piano Course, Sound Innovations, and Suzuki, to artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bruno Mars, Cole Porter, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, George and Ira Gershwin, John Lennon, Katy Perry, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, to brands like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, James Bond, Rolling Stone magazine, and Billboard. In addition to its own titles, Alfred Music distributes products from over 150 companies, including advance music, Belwin, Cengage Learning, Dover Publications, Drum Channel, Faber Music, Guitar World, Highland/Etling, Jamey Aebersold Jazz, Kalmus, MakeMusic, Penguin, Schaum Publications, and WEA.
    [Show full text]